Check It Out

Courier Article by Pam Locker
Sunday, October 17, 2010

Fiction Writer to Discuss WWII Book at Library

It's time for a Shout Out about local authors. We have a talented crew of writers in the Tri-State area, some of whom have received national acclaim, some who are only known locally, but all worth reading. Here are some recent works, starting with fiction.

If you've always wanted to ask Mike Whicker what's true and what isn't in his exciting WWII novels about Erika Lehmann, now's your chance. He will be talking about "Blood of the Reich," the sequel to "Invitation to Valhalla," on Saturday, October 23 at Stringtown Branch Library. Join us.

Newburgh podiatrist Brandt Dodson's novels are published by Harvest House, one of the premier publishers of Christian fiction. "Daniel's Den," his latest, is a suspenseful tale of a man and woman who find each other while on the run from a pair of vicious killers covering up a financial crime.

If you crave a nice old-fashioned Gothic romance, pick up B. J. Conner's "Deadly Connections: A Gaslight Gothic Mystery." Conner has published six gothic novels, all set in the Evansville area and imbued with historical ambience.

"Miracle of Stalag 8A: Beauty Beyond the Horror," a work of biographical fiction, is Mater Dei theology teacher John McMullen's seventh novel. It recounts how French composer Olivier Messiaen overcame the travails of a WWII German prison camp to write the masterpiece "Quartet for the End of Time."

McMullan's wife, M. Grace Bernardin, is also a writer. "Odd Numbers" is the thoughtful and touching story of a group of young people in Lamasco (a thinly disguised Evansville) whose paths intersect many years later in life-changing ways.

"Saintly Remains" is Tony Perona's third Nick Bertretto mystery, all favorably reviewed in national journals. Set in Jasper, Indiana, it is loosely based on the Columbine shootings.

Cora Seaman, one of the founders of the Midwest Writers Guild, has two new novels out. "The Secret of the Red Bridge" is set in Civil War Posey County, and "A Tangled Web" is contemporary fiction.

And last but certainly not least is prize-winning University of Evansville professor Margaret McMullan's "Sources of Light." Published by Houghton Mifflin, "Sources" is a powerful coming-of-age tale set in Jackson, Mississippi in 1962. It is the youth selection of this year's One Book program, as well as a nominee for the National Book Award.

Some notable non-fiction has also just hit the shelves.

"1940s Photographs" by James Joseph Donahue III is a compilation of black and white commercial photos taken by Donahue Studios in Evansville during that decade.

87-year old Teresa Miller, a founding member of the local RiverTown Storytellers, unstintingly shares her personal journey in her memoir, "Chubby's Story."

"Face Boss: the Memoir of a Western Kentucky Coal Miner "is coal miner Michael Guillerman's account of 17 years working in Peabody's western Kentucky underground mines. Published by the University of Tennessee Press, it is a rare glimpse into a very dangerous occupation.

"Home Town History: the Evansville, Indiana Area" by Harold B. Morgan is packed with illustrations and information.

"Recipe Records," by Lanea Ritterling Stagg of Evansville and Maggie McHugh of St. Louis is a fun collection of recipes with rock-inspired titles, interspersed with lists of related rock songs.

Finally, my husband remembers his mother keeping them inside during the 1956 escape of "Tri-State Area Mad Dog Serial Killer" Leslie Irvin. Former Illinois resident Joyce Hudson's father-in-law was the Evansville chief of detectives, and here is an insider's account of the killer's escapades.

IF YOU GOAuthor Mike Whicker"Blood of the Reich"Saturday, October 23, 10:30amStringtown Branch Library